Members of the local Compassionate Friends chapter include (front row l-r) Anna York of Williamson with a photo of Deanna York, Lisa Brown of Williamson with a photo of Kimberley Brown, Kim Bishop of Concord with photo of Eli Bishop, Jordan Peeples and Brent Taylor, both of Griffin, with photos of Justin Peeples, Debbie Woerner of Williamson with a photo of Jacob Woerner, Shea Hatchett of Williamson with a photo of Ryan Wilson, (back row l-r) Allen Brown of Williamson, Kent Bishop of Concord, Audra Huffstetler of Williamson and Clay Woerner of Williamson.

When a child dies, support is critical to the family seeking to survive the grief that accompanies the death of that child. The Compassionate Friends, a national self-help bereavement organization for families that have experienced the death of a child, helps fulfill that need through its more than 600 U.S. chapters that provide friendship, understanding and hope to parents, siblings and grandparents coping with just such a loss.